Knives

By Unknown Author

Knives were probably one of the first tools invented by man. They are fabulously utilitarian and enabled the first "man" to sever flesh from bone, and thereby made preparing the "kill" du jour far easier. In fact, any tool with a sharp cutting edge was a boon to early man, and to us now, as a matter of fact.

Knives come in all sizes and shapes, each designed and shaped to fit a specific purpose. Some are long, some are short. Some have edges on two sides, some on only one, and some "fantasy" blades can have multiple blades with multiple edges. Knives, as tools, can serve every purpose imaginable, but what about knives that are designed and used for "other" purposes.

Knives can be weapons of terrible efficiency, capable of rendering lifeless both prey and our fellow man. Disturbed about the term "prey"? Man is the most efficient and dangerous predator of the face of the earth. His tools are numerous and deadly, and, as stated earlier, one of the first he used was the knife. In fact, for thousands of years, man had only the knife. True, some were long and had the name "sword", and some were mounted on the end of long poles and were called "pikes" or "spears", but they were still "knives". In fact, until the invention of gunpowder, and the various weapons that used this invention, all man had was the knife.

Knives are not only used for weapons and tools. Knives can be instruments of miraculous healing. Witness, the "scalpel" wielded by the surgeon in the operating room as he performs delicate open heart surgery on the tiniest of infants, preserving a life that before this "miracle" had no chance of survival. So, it is no great stretch of imagination to see how the knife permeates our lives and our society.

Now, what about the knives that I use in BDSM play? First, let me tell you that in my view, there are only 2 types of knives...sharp knives and dull knives. Sharp knives will always, always cut and dull knives never cut. The most dangerous knife in a Dom's toy bag is the "half-sharp, half-dull" knife. This knife doesn't cut sometimes, and at other times, when you least expect it to happen, it cuts, generally unintentionally. I have six knives of various sizes and styles in my toy bag. Four are sharp and all of those will cut so they must be used with the utmost care and caution. Two are dull and I could place the edge of the blade against your wrist, for example, and saw away and never break the flesh. They serve two different purposes.

Any submissive with whom I play, over a period of time, knows which blades are sharp, and which blades are dull. Their bodies "remember" the shape of the blades as they caress their inner thighs or travel up and down the slope of their breasts. They remember which blades cut the clothing from their bodies with deceptive ease, and they remember the blades I use to remove wax that I have dripped on their body. Even when blindfolded, after a while, they know.

But do they know? The sharpest blade can be dulled, and then resharpened later, and vice versa. With blindfold in place, many times I have used formerly "sharp" blades to induce "mind fuck" in the submissive with whom I am playing. A blade that her body remembers as sharp can be placed at her neck. That blade, now dulled to protect that most delicate of areas in case she make an unfortunate movement that, with a "sharp" blade, could end the scene in tragedy, is remembered by her body as a "sharp" blade from the shape of the blade and the feel of the blade on her body in prior scenes. Her mind, without thinking, identifies the blade and her body reacts to that identification.

I have had a submissive break out into a cold sweat at the touch of a "sharp" blade, even though the blade is now far, far away from being "sharp". Yes, the submissive is trusting of you, especially if she is allowing you to play with her body using knives. She is, literally, placing her life in your hands. But, in the back of her mind, despite the trust, there is a small fear of accident and most female submissives that I know have a fear of knives.

Now, as to the care of your knives

1. Buy the best you can afford. A "good" knife will last a very long time, and can be sharpened to a razor's edge and hold that edge for a long time. Lesser knives cannot.
2. Keep your knives clean, meticulously clean. Body oil and sweat can ravage a blade if not removed after a scene. I always clean my blades after each use. For health reasons, a blade should always be wiped down with alcohol after each use, especially if the blade or tip has drawn blood.
3. Keep your blades well-oiled. Rust and corrosion are the bane of any fine edge. I always wipe my blades down after use with an "oil" cloth. A very light oil, such as sewing machine oil, or WD-40, can protect the blade from the ravages of rust and corrosion.
4. And, before each use, I wipe my blades again with alcohol, to insure that nothing could possibly transfer from one person to another through the use of that blade.
5. Resharpen your "sharp" blades after each use in a scene. The mere act of slicing the panties from your submissive's body can "dull" the edge to a certain degree. Do that sufficient times without resharpening the blade and your once "sharp" knife becomes half-sharp, half-dull, and is then far more dangerous.
6. Practice on yourself before you use that blade on someone else. It is far better to cut yourself by accident than to cut your submissive. A mistake can not only ruin a scene, but can destroy the "trust" that submissive has in you as a Dominant. So, don't go there.

This is not meant to be a total and comprehensive view of knife play. It is merely some tips and pointers that I have picked up over the years. And remember... just because a knife is used in play, it does not follow that the Dominant involved is bloodthirsty and wishes to use the blade to "cut". In fact, in the years that I have played with knives, I have never cut a submissive, accidentally or otherwise. It is not within my comfort level at this time. But I have likewise learned that the use of the word "never" can be extremely foolhardy...and I act accordingly.